Immigrants continue to power the U.S. apparel industry and the volatile women's fashion sector in particular. Like their predecessors, many new arrivals find their first jobs assembling clothing. As they gain English language skills and improve their education and training, they leave for better jobs and are replaced by more recent immigrants.

As in earlier times, current American sweatshop workers tend to be immigrants (legal and illegal) seeking economic opportunity and political freedom. Desperate for work and primarily women, these workers become easy prey for unscrupulous employers.